Monthly Messenger - St Pauls Lutheran Church

The Messenger
The Messenger
ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH
530 Bridge Street
New Cumberland, PA 17070
Volume L, Number 2
2015
Congregation Council
Members 2015
Tim Dixon - President
Barb Weedon -Vice President
Jo Ann Painter - Council Secretary
Randy Zangari -Treasurer
Jim Corle
Matt Loch
Sharon Layman
Tom Melnichak
Hank Guise
ST. PAUL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
530 BRIDGE STREET
NEW CUMBERLAND, PENNSYLVANIA 17070
FAX – (717)774-6682
Telephone – (717)774-3646
St_Paul_Admin@verizon.net
Pastor: Elaine M. Dent
Minister of Music: Karen R. Worley
Office Administrator: Tammy Davis
Ministers: The people of St. Paul
St. Paul Web Site: www.stpaulnc.org
The Messenger 2
February 2015
Dear Friends at St. Paul,
A pilgrimage is usually a journey to a sacred site. It is done with a purpose and often is a
spiritual quest. It involves separation from home and ordinary life. Frequently a pilgrim walks to the
destination, living simply. Popular pilgrimage sites, for Christians anyway, include the Holy Land, the
Camino de Santiago in Spain, the holy city of Rome, or the mystical "thin places" in Ireland where
people through generations have sensed God's presence.
My walk for the sabbatical is still a pilgrimage although there is no holy destination. In fact the
trail I'm walking has nothing to do with any religious purpose. The Appalachian Trail travels along the
spine of the ancient Appalachian mountains, starting at the top of one mountain and ending on the top of
another, with a few hundred mountains in between. It is a recreational trail, a conservationist trail, a
proof of endurance trail, but not a spiritual pilgrimage trail. And yet, after doing much reading, I have
learned that many people seek time on this trail for spiritual reasons...or at least in hopes of improving
themselves personally or finding direction in their lives.
My hiking companion, Jeff Rice, and I will start unceremoniously where the trail crosses
highway 7 in Virginia. Heading south we will continue until we reach the last trail town in the state--Damascus. There is nothing significant about either of these places except that Damascus claims to be
the friendliest hiker town on the 2000+ miles of the AT.
So what makes the journey a pilgrimage if I am not going to a special "holy" destination?
(Martin Luther, who was not a fan of pilgrimages, would ask this question.) Well, I have to leave
home for two months to do it. I will not only have to travel very lightly in terms of weight and
environmental impact, but I also will have to live without a lot of creature comforts---a sort of
spiritual and physical fasting from the conveniences in life. The hike will involve mental and physical
stamina, and there will be days I want to quit. There will be a spiritual practice that I maintain as I stop
five times a day, everyday, to pray through yet another Psalm.
But still, I wondered, what quasi-holy sites there could be on the AT? What about McAfee
Knob? There, thousands of people have gazed in awe at creation---and surely prayed if they believed in
a Creator. Maybe that has become a "thin place." Or maybe White Top Mountain where a folk music
festival was held during the 1930's. One year as many as 20,000 people, including First Lady Eleanor
Roosevelt, gathered on this spot for the love of Appalachian music and celebration. Or perhaps it will be
on the Grayson Highlands where the (relatively) wild ponies roam. Or maybe crossing the James River
(Powatan to Native Americans) where many baptisms have occurred.
But ultimately one of the great things about a this pilgrimage, at least from my perspective, is
that the whole trail (or at least the portion we are doing) will be the holy site, not just one final destination point. One's whole life is sometimes referred to as an earthly pilgrimage. The trail journey is a microcosm of one's life, an opportunity, like in ordinary life, to be open to God's presence along the way.
God's presence can be discovered in a conversation with a passing hiker, in help gratefully received or
given, in finding a faucet with treated water, or in an amazing sunrise overlooking the eastern Piedmont,
and in the discipline of praying the Psalms. Who knows when and where I will be most aware of God's
gifts or God's calling for compassion and trust along the way. After all, Christians were first known as
"people of the way." That's the adventure for this pilgrim of the way. Yes, I am taking scraps of paper to
journal what I discover. I'm sure that the God-given surprises of this pilgrimage will journey home with
me and find their way into blog posts and sermons for months to come. But I'm hoping for more than
that. I am praying that those gracious discoveries of God's presence, those thin places along the trail
where I learn to trust God's leading, will take up lodging in my heart and change me in the way God
intends so that I come back home renewed to serve.
Pastor Elaine Dent
The Messenger 2
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6:30 Pack 63
9:30 Head Start
7:30 Narcotics Anonymous
12:00 Prayer
Lunch - Baughman
12:00 Lunch
6:00 Lenten Dinner
6:00 TOPS
6:15 Evening Prayer
6:30 Pack 63
6:45 Windows on the Word
7:30 Choir Rehearsal
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9:00 Quilters
12:00 Bible Study
6:30 NCD
7:00 Pack 63/Troop 82
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The Messenger 2
8:15, 11 Worship
9:45 Sunday School
9:45 Pretzel Sunday
6:30 Bell Choir Rehearsal
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8:15, 11 Worship
9:45 Sunday School
9:45 Pretzel Sunday
6:30 Bell Choir Rehearsal
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9:30am Worship
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8:30 WS Conference
6:30 Pack 63
7:00 Council
7:30 Narcotics Anonymous
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9:30 Head Start
12:00 Prayer
Lunch - Baughman
12:00 Lunch
6:00 Lenten Dinner
6:00 TOPS
6:30 Pack 63
7:00 Worship Service
7:30 Choir Rehearsal
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9:00 Quilters
12:00 Bible Study
6:30 NCD
7:00 Pack 63/Troop 82
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6:30 Worship & Music
6:30 Pack 63
7:30 Narcotics Anonymous
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9:30 Head Start
6:00 TOPS
6:30 Keystone Moms
6:30 Pack 63
7:30 Choir Rehearsal
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The Messenger 2
6:30 Natural Church Dev. 9:00 Quilters
8:15, 11 Worship
12:00 Bible Study
9:45 Sunday School
6:30 NCD
6:30 Bell Choir Rehearsal
7:00 Pack 63/Troop 82
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Thursday
Sunday
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On Ash Wednesday the church began its journey toward baptismal immersion in the death and
resurrection of Christ. This year, the Sundays in Lent lead us to focus on five covenants God
makes in the Hebrew Scriptures and to use them as lenses through which to view baptism. First
Peter connects the way God saved Noah's family in the flood with the way God saves us
through the water of baptism. The baptismal covenant is made with us individually, but the new
life we are given in baptism is for the sake of the whole world.
9:00 Quilters
12:00 Bible Study
6:30 NCD
7:00 Pack 63/Troop 82
February 22: First Sunday in Lent
Wednesday
The leper is confident in Jesus' power to heal. Naaman, on the other hand, is comically hard to
convince that he can be healed by such an unlikely foreigner as Elisha, who directs him to wash
in such a sorry excuse for a river as the Jordan. Jesus' healing power is here among us in the
ordinary water of the font, in the ordinary bread, in the ordinary people who make up the body
of Christ. We would be well-advised to take the advice of the least powerful among us (like the
servant girl in Naaman's household) if we want to find the one who will heal us.
Tuesday
February 15: Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
Monday
In Isaiah it is the one God who sits above the earth and numbers the stars it is that God who
strengthens the powerless. So in Jesus' healing work we see the hand of the creator God, lifting
up the sick woman to health and service (diakonia). Like Simon's mother-in-law, we are lifted
up to health and diakonia. Following Jesus, we strengthen the powerless; like Jesus, we seek to
renew our own strength in quiet times of prayer.
February 2015
February 8: Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
6:30 Property Committee
In Deuteronomy God promises to raise up a prophet like Moses, who will speak for God; in
Psalm 111 God shows the people the power of God's works. For the church these are ways of
pointing to the unique authority people sensed in Jesus' actions and words. We encounter that
authority in God's word, around which we gather, the word that trumps any lesser spirit that
would claim power over us, freeing us to follow Jesus.
8:15, 11 Worship
9:45 Sunday School
9:45 BP Screening
Friday
February 1: Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
7:30 Worship & Music Comm.10 a.m. Prayer Shall Group
9:30 Head Start
6:00 TOPS
6:30 Keystone Moms
6:30 Pack 63
6:45 Prayer around Cross
7:30 Choir Rehearsal
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Sunday Mornings at 8:15 and 11:00 a.m.
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Sat urday
Worship at St. Paul
February 1
8:15 Harlan Layman
11:00 Judy Kleinfelter
February 8
8:15 Ron & Audrey Hess
11:00 JoAnn Painter
8:15 Gene & Doris Bowser
11:00 Joan Ruth
February 22
The Messenger 2
February 15
8:15 Laura Grill
11:00 Deb Boehm
8:15 Carl Helstom
11:00 John Young
Greeters
8:15 Barb Weedon
11:00 Breda Kiehl
8:15 Carl Helstom
11:00 Ken Lytle
8:15 Hank Guise
11:00 Sue Williams
Lector
8:15 Jacques Weedon
8:15 Jim Fulkroad
8:15 Grace Ann Burke
8:15 Jim Loch
Communion
Assistant
8:15 Trey Weedon
11:00 Micheala O'Reilly
8:15 Mark Shultz
11:00 Micheala O'Reilly
8:15 Matt Loch
11:00 Volunteer
8:15 Jim Fulkroad
11:00 JoAnn Painter
Sue Williams
8:15 Catie Loch
11:00 Volunteer
Acolyte
8:15 Pat Osenbach
11:00 Heather Yoder
Barb Weedon
Jim Fulkroad
Nancy Ambrose
8:15 Nancy Ambrose
11:00 JoAnn Painter
Linda Goodhart
Barb Weedon
Kathy Ruble
Dave Kutz
8:15 Kathy Ruble
11:00 Judy Kleinfelter
Communion
Clean Up
Linda Goodhart
Bob & Maggie Fogleman
Jim Fulkroad
Fulkroads
Fulkroads
Earl Guise
Sue Williams
Communion
Set Up
Ron & Audrey Hess
Jim Fulkroad
Judy Kleinfelter
Youth Group
Tim Repman
Jim Fulkroad
Flowers
Jim Fulkroad
JoAnn Painter
Communion
Bread
Paraments
Heather Yoder
McCreary/Shindel
Linens
Repman/Ritter
Harlan Layman
Coffee
Fellowship
Fulkroad/Kutz
Head
Usher
Our Lutheran Community
Your MISSION, should you choose to
accept it, is to invite a friend to volunteer
with you during St. Paul’s next Family
Promise host week in February. Our nights are 2/11, 2/12 and 2/13 . We’re trying
to get more people to know about this amazing program and to make an impact in
the lives of families. This message will not self-destruct after you’ve read it, but
it’s still pretty important. ACCEPT YOUR MISSION, AND WE’LL SEE YOU
AT HOST WEEK!
Soup Sale- the youth group is having a soup sale going on
from now until the Feb. 15th. Please see one of the youth to
order your soup. Also if you would like to help us out even
more, we are opening up the selling of the soup to everyone in
the church. So if you would like to sell soup please see Amanda.
Pretzel Sunday and Service Project
February 22, 2015 9:45 a.m.
Trip to Washington D.C. on Saturday, April 25th. St. Paul people are taking a bus trip to
D.C. to the National Mall. First stop will be the National Gallery of Art to view and learn about
the pieces focused on in our Lenten Wednesday evening services. There will be time to do your
own exploring. The bus departs New Cumberland at 8:00 a.m. and leaves the Mall at 5:00 p.m.
There will be a bus stop in Thurmont for dinner. The costs for the bus is $32 per person. To
sign up see Tom Melnichak or you can sign up on the hall bulletin board.
Please remember our members who aren’t able to make it to St. Paul
often or at all.
Evelyn Hess
Harolld Stahle
Cordella Felder
Suzie Hill
Grace Smith
Bob Folk
Jack Robison
Ruth Fite
Ida Mae Greeley
The Messenger 2
Doris Cavanaugh
Pat Snyder
Lent Season
“Windows of the Word”
Wednesday Evenings, February 25-March 25
Dinner at 6:00 p.m.; Worship at 6:45-7:20 p.m.
“Windows of the Word” is the theme for Wednesday evenings in Lent at St. Paul. Each week
a featured work of art from the National Gallery in Washington D.C., will be projected on the
screen so all can see. The art will serve as one window through which we meditate and “see” a
story from scripture, sing and pray around the cross. Through these windows of art, scripture,
prayer and music, we can see more clearly the good news of God’s grace for us. Added bonus: A bus trip on Saturday, April 25, will take us to the National Gallery of Art in D.C.
where Dave Kutz will be our guide to see the featured art of “Windows of the Word.” He will
point out techniques the artists used to tell the scripture story—things we might not notice on
our own. There will also be time to visit other museums and monuments on the Mall that day.
Check your bulletin for details.
“Five Covenants of God“
Sunday Worship during Lent
8:15 and 11:00 a.m.
This year, the Sundays in Lent lead us to focus on five covenants God makes in the Hebrew
scriptures and to use them as windows through which to view baptism.
First Sunday in Lent, February 22: The covenant to save through the waters
Second Sunday of Lent, March 1: The covenant to bring life to many.
Third Sunday of Lent, March 8: The covenant gift of law to those freed from slavery.
Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 15: The covenant that those who look on the bronze serpent
will live.
Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 22: The covenant where all people will know God by heart
The Messenger 2
February 18
Worship Service at 9:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Ash Wednesday Worship Assistants
Greeter
Lector
Communion Assistant
Acolyte
Communion Clean Up
Communion Set Up
Communion Bread
Paraments
Linens
Head Usher
Volunteer
Dave Kutz
Sue Smith
Volunteer
Worship & Music
Nancy Ambrose
Nancy Ambrose
Jim Fulkroad
JoAnn Painter
Earl Guise
Financial Status
Operating Account
As of December 30, 2014
Revenue
Current, Building, Plate
Elements of Service
Special Envelope Giving
Various/Outreach/Projects
Roof Repair Donations
TOTAL INCOME
$ 20,539.35
212.00
6,350.10
729.00
1,225.00
$ 29,055.45
Expense
Staff Salaries, Wages, Benefits $ 7,948.06
Physical Plant
7,404.85
Committee
101.98
Benevolence
2,425.75
Parish Administration
3,021.99
TOTAL EXPENSE
$ 20,902.63
The Messenger 2
Thank You
Dear St. Pauls, on behalf of the Ecumenical Food Pantry, and those who benefit by your
generosity, I would like to thank you for your generous contribution of 784 bags of candy
and 5 bags of food we received in Dec. 2014.
Jacqueline Young, Corresponding Secretary
A huge thank you to everyone at St. Paul's for their outpouring of love this Holiday
season. The children at Hansel & Gretel were so thrilled to receive their Christmas
bags this year! I only wish you could see the appreciation reflected in the eyes of
their parents as they receive the bags. One mother commented that she especially
appreciates receiving the bags each year because the presents are wrapped. She said
with them coming already wrapped, she doesn't know what to expect inside the
wrappings any more than her child does! She said it makes it fun for everyone!
To all who participated in this project ~ THANK YOU for your generous giving!!!
Laura Grill, Director
Hansel & Gretel Early Learning Center
Ash Wednesday
February 18th
Worship Service at 9:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Dinner at 6:00 p.m.
Lenten Dinners ~ Fellowship Hall, beginning on Ash Wednesday
6:00 p.m.
Lenten Evening Worship ~ “Windows of the Word”
6:45 p.m.
New Cumberland Ministerium
Lenten Lunches
Beyond Question
The Kitchen Bag Project was once again a success. We distributed 200 bags to the following charities:
The Bridge
Head Start Program
H.E.L.P. and La Casa (House of Friendship)
Hansel and Gretel
Thanks to Karen Worley for sewing the bag and to all who helped fill the bags and wrap
all the gifts. A special thanks for all the monetary gifts you have to support our Hillside
family.
Below is a list of what we spent this:
Dollar Tree
$755.00
Doctor Day
$ 58.56
Total
$813.56
Wednesdays at Noon; Cost $4
Baughman United Methodist Church
Feb. 18, Ash Wed. ~ Baughman United Methodist Church
Feb. 25, 2nd Wed. ~ St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church
March 4, 3rd Wed. ~ Faith UCC lunch; Pastor Marcy Nicholas, Community
U.M., devotions
March 11, 4th Wed. ~ St. Theresa’s
March 18, 5th Wed. ~ New Cumberland Church of God
March 25, 6th Wed. ~ Trinity United Methodist
Please call the church office the Monday before, if you plan to attend.
Services
April 3, Good Friday - Noon Service ~ Church of the Nazarene
April 5, Easter - Sunrise Service ~ Alliance Church at New Cumberland
Borough Park
The mitten tree was also a success. A total of 12 scarves, 61 gloves and 56 hats went to
different charities.
Thank you for your generosity, Kitchen Committee
The Messenger 2
The Messenger 2
Announcements
Happy Birthday
We welcome through Holy Baptism Mia Alyana Shipley and Avery Murdock Urban on
January 11th.
The parish house is going green! God has given us a beautiful creation of which we are called
to be stewards, so St. Paul's staff and Ventures team are finding small ways we can protect the
earth's natural resources. We will be diligent about recycling the paper, plastic and cans that we
use. We will be taking used batteries from microphones to proper disposal sites. And a generous
donor is replacing the parish house light bulbs with LED lights. Is there anything you can start
doing to care better for God's creation? Give your idea of what you will be doing to a Ventures
team member or put a note in Pastor's mailbox. The people on our Ventures team are: Gene
McCreary, JoAnn Painter, Diane Cline, Bob Cline, Randy Zangari, Mark Rothermel, Pastor Dent .
Trip to Washington D.C. on Saturday, April 25th. St. Paul people are taking a bus trip to D.C.
to the National Mall. First stop will be the National Gallery of Art to view and learn about the
pieces focused on in our Lenten Wednesday evening services. There will be time to do your own
exploring. The bus departs New Cumberland at 8:00 a.m. and leaves the Mall at 5:00 p.m. There
will be a bus stop in Thurmont for dinner. The costs for the bus is $32 per person. To sign up see
Tom Melnichak.
Flower/Bulletin/Candle Dedications: The 2015 sign-up sheets are posted on the bulletin
board. Please reserve your date by signing up or by contacting the church office.
Offering Envelopes for 2015 are in the north hallway ready to be picked up.
From the Quilters: Please remember the quilters if you have fabric remnants at least 7” wide,
sheets, curtains, or blankets or mattress pads that are not too heavy. We cannot use clothing. The
guidelines ask us to make the quilts warm enough to sleep outside on a Pennsylvania October
night, and one of our biggest challenges is finding filler material to provide warmth. If you can join
us on Tuesday mornings, even for an hour, or can cut or sew at home, it will help us to continue
this project, which started more than 40 years ago.
Lutheran Camping Corporation ~ Winter Fun Day, Feb. 8th. Bible Study Wittel Farm, Feb.
11th. Lenten Day Apart at the Wittel Farm, Feb. 21st. For more information visit
www.lutherancamping.org/events/
Church office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The Messenger 2
Harlan Layman
Bruce Parthemore
Edward Morrow
2/1
2/1
2/3
Margaret Warmkessel 2/6
Ryan Grill
2/8
Heather Yoder
2/10
Dana Harbold
2/11
Charles Intrieri, Jr. 2/11
Judith Zeiders
2/12
Yvonne Sultzaberger 2/12
Riley Petroff
2/16
Megan Dapp
2/17
Herman Hanemann 2/17
Chole Casselberry 2/19
Christine Dapp
2/20
Patricia Rowe
2/21
Ryan Rowe
Dane Harbold
Janeen LaFaver
Jennifer Shuey
Ruth Fite
Carl Helstrom, Jr.
Deborah Schmelzie
2/22
2/23
2/23
2/24
2/26
2/28
2/28
FOOD PANTRY VOLUNTEERS
Join
The Tuesday Bible
Study/lunch group
At 12:00 p.m.
February
Sondra Parthemore, Judy Kleinfelter
Carole Nace, Bill & Kathy Shindel
March
John Young, Joan Ruth, Mary Jane &
Hank Guise, Bob Cline
KITCHEN
COMMITTEE
February
Kathy Shindel
March
Bonnie Urban
We will be discussing Exodus and the story
of Moses.
TOPS
Take Off Pounds Sensibly
TOPS is a non-profit, international weight
loss and management support group. Come
join us in the Fellowship Hall on Wednesday
evenings. Weigh-ins are from 6 to 7 p.m.; the
meeting is from 7-8 p.m. Contact Pat
Osenbach at posenbach811@verizon.net or
774-6633.
Food Pantry Item of the Month
February
March
Peanut Butter
Canned Soup
The Messenger 2
April
Jello and Pudding